Instinctual Attraction
by MizChaos13
Summary: Everybody has instincts. They come out in the worst of times and the best of times, as the Flight 29 Downers know. But what if you add in somebody else? Somebody who's instincts, maybe, are stronger than anybody could ever believe. Jackson/OC, AU, R&R! Complete for now, may do a rewrite in the future. Sorry!
1. The Beginning

A/N: Ick, this was way shorter than I thought was. Ah well, first chapter of my first ACTUAL story is here. I will try for weekly updates, but no guarantees. Second chapter will be longer for sure. Please R&R!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything recognizable, but I do own Kara and the plot. J/OC

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I boarded the small plane uncertainly; a feeling of deep foreboding echoes throughout my whole body as I saw all the other students. Even so, this was still better than staying and my so called uncle's house. In the jungle for a week (knowing me, maybe more) just "roughing" it with tents, nourishing meals, and laundry service. I snorted at the difference between my definition of roughing it and theirs. All of the other kids were talking excitedly to each other, that was, everyone except for this one guy in the back who was listening to music. A little kid was talking to him, but he didn't seem to be listening

Looking across the aisle, I spotted an empty set of seats and decided to sit there. Hopefully I wouldn't be bothered that far in the back, but who knows. I slid my bag that had what was pretty much the majority of my worldly possessions into the overhead compartment. Before placing it up there, I took 'my' iPod which I "borrowed" from my cousin out of the bag. I decided to listen to it for the majority of the ride. I also took out a book, "Gone with the Wind" to read as well, after my hearing had sustained enough damage.

"Damage from classical music? I think not." I muttered softly to myself. My cousin was nice enough to buy some songs that I liked. Classical was by far my favorite, followed by jazz and heavy metal.

The sky was a heavily muted blue, with clouds covering the ground for miles. This only intensified the feeling I had since I got on the plane. I quickly shut the window and turned to my book. Somehow, for the first few chapters, I couldn't tune out that feeling. Even the ginger tea I had drank before I left didn't seem to help. Even so, as I tried not to think about it, the book sucked me into its storyline.

A few hours later, there was some bad turbulence. A few minutes after that, there was more. I looked up from the last few pages of the book and growled softly. Nobody seemed to notice the odd reoccurrence of severe turbulence. I didn't know any of their names, so I decided to use nicknames. One by one, they all had names that I would at least know until I found out their real names.

Hoodie guy was talking to Kid, Ditzy and Mrs. Goodietwoshoes were talking about some magazine, Joker was getting ready to play some joke on Ditzy, and Red and Fluffy were arguing about something. The others I decided not to name, something about them turned me away.

Seeing as nobody seemed worried, I decided to try to calm myself down. I looked out the window, trying to convince myself that nothing was wrong, but paled. Rain was bouncing off of the wings and thunder could be faintly heard as a low undertone over the engines. I quickly shut the window so as not to frighten the others. After all, there was a chance that nothing would happen. I subtly took my bag from the overhead compartment and placed my iPod and my book back in. That bag was the most expensive thing I actually owned. It was waterproof and made of Kevlar (for a very good reason). It was big enough to carry everything except my saxophone and some close, and still not be too bulky. "Everything" consisted of some granola bars, a full canteen, a flint and magnesium striker, my knife (which, instead of in its usual place in my bag, was safely stowed in the cargo hold in my duffel bag with my tent and sleeping bag), some clothes, rope, twine, a sewing kit, spices and herbs as well as an plant identification book, plastic bags, a mess kit, tea and a brew kit, some MRE's, a tarp, a book and my iPod, and a first aid kit.

In other words, everything I need to survive on my own.

More turbulence finally alerted everybody to a problem. I put my seat belt on, and the others did the same after the pilot ordered them to do so. That is, except for Red, who went to talk to the pilot. When she came back, I could tell the news wasn't good. She looked oddly pale and nervous, and she seemed to be pretty level headed. Red began to talk to Fluffy and Kid, who both looked even more worried than before.

A large crash and the scent of smoke foretold our perceived doom. A falling sensation in the pit of my stomach prompted quick action from me to secure my belongings. Everybody else was panicking, but I wasn't. I had the best chance of survival. I had the knowledge and experience to survive. That is, if we landed on land. If we landed in the water, nobody had any hope of survival.

Fluffy and Red tried to get the raft open, but it had a hole in they made it or not, I decided to put it up to a manufacturing defect. Despite the general feeling of panic in the air, they seemed to be able to get the job done, although in a rather disjointed fashion. I would have helped, but they seemed to be doing enough damage.

I felt the plane hit the water. I felt the plane bounce, once, twice, three times. The plane hit again, and stopped. I flew forward and hit the seat in front of me. I faintly heard metal groan and more panicking, and as I faded in and out of awareness, I felt myself wondering where the sinking feeling and the feeling of water sucking the plane under was.

Everything then went pitch black, and I felt myself falling into the darkness.

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Next chapter coming soon, please click the pretty blue button down at the bottom left corner! Constructive criticism is highly appreciated, flames are not.


	2. A New Pack?

**A/N:** Sorry for the long wait, life has been getting in the way. Many of the chapters I have written are in the process of being revised; I've noticed some things that need to be straightened out. I'm not going to be able to post as often until I get these things straightened out, but I will try to post occasionally.

DISCLAIMER: see first chapter.

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"Hey, are you okay?"

My eyes snapped open and I jumped, growled, and bared my teeth as an automatic reaction to an unfamiliar touch. The guy that was previously lightly shaking my shoulder jumped back across the aisle. Once he retreated to what felt like a safe distance away, I checked myself for injuries (none except for a few cuts and a nasty case of whiplash) and unbuckled. I got up, then fell back into my seat as a wave of dizziness washed over me. _Huh, no water around_, I faintly thought. The guy, whom I now recognized as Hoodie Guy, looked at me then asked me something. I think he asked me if I was okay, so instead of speaking (which, seeing my lack of balance, could be a bad idea) I just nodded.

Ow. Even worse idea. My head reeled as I gritted my teeth and hissed. I tried to get up, slower this time. He offered a hand to me, and my instincts took over as I growled and crouched somewhat. This only made my head hurt even worse, but I didn't relax. My instincts told me that he was dangerous, and they were usually right. At the moment, he seemed much more scared of me than I was of him. This observation was enough to make me relax a small bit. I remained cautious, but didn't let my guard down. He gave me some room.

"Everybody else is outside. We landed on an island." He said, obviously trying to keep his sentences short so I could understand. It seemed like my display before has created doubts in his mind about my mental state.

"Thank you Captian Obvious." The headache from before intensified into a splitting headache that was currently working its way down my neck. "Does anybody know where we are?"

"No." A man of few words; I could tell. He didn't take his eyes off of me. I dismissed it because people were always asking if I had green contacts and dyed hair. Both my eyes and my hair were my natural color, which many people found odd. My eyes were about the color of rich, green leaves. Wow, that bump must have been harder than I thought, since my thoughts got off topic so quickly.

I tried to take a step, but I felt faint again, and quickly found out why he was watching me. I almost fell and hit my head on the seat again (that would have been real pleasant) but he caught me. Again, at the touch I jumped and growled, but restrained myself from baring my teeth. He let go, and instead of falling, I was supported by a seat.

I eyed him distrustfully. Experience has taught me not to trust anyone, and after all, experience is the best teacher. He sighed, then started to walk off the plane. I relaxed since his back was turned, but stiffened again has he held his hand out to me.

"No one's going to hurt you. We have enough problems here." I thought about this for a moment, and deciding this was logical enough, I carefully took his hand.

**

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**

Outside of the plane, I tripped and fell on the warm sand. The sun was exceedingly bright in comparison to the plane, and even though my coordination wasn't fully back yet, I chalked up my clumsiness to the sun.

"Easy. You might have a concussion."

"Again, thank you Captain Obvious." Boy, was I feeling sarcastic today.

"My name's Jackson." He said as I allowed him to help me up.

"Kara. And don't expect me to keep leaning on you." I gave him a slight glare to emphasize my point. He smirked.

"I won't." We seemed to have made some sort of a truce. I suppose if I'm stuck here with these kids, I better at least have somebody to talk to. If things went completely wrong, at least I'd have intelligent companionship for a while.

I stumbled a few more times going into the makeshift "camp" they had made up. Jackson and I didn't really talk after we introduced ourselves, but somehow the tension eased up a bit. I was still tense enough to not be caught off guard though.

At the camp, I took a seat by the fire pit that was set up. The only thing that was missing from it was the fire. There were definitely less people here than were on the plane. I later found out they went out to look for civilization. My theory (the more civilized a person gets, the less intelligence he or she has) was proven by this blatant act of stupidity.

I figured I would have to look for them later. Much later.

Fluffy was currently trying to start a fire with an obscenely primitive method. Even my pack used flint and magnesium, sunlight, or matches to start a fire. Hardly anybody uses friction fires anymore. I thought about saying something, but I decided it wasn't absolutely necessary at the moment.

Fluffy was obviously having problems, and I was feeling better, so I went to go hunt. I went back to the area which I had my stuff and grabbed my backpack. I left my sleeping bag and a few other items to signify that I was returning. I was then stopped by Red, who told me to do a bunch of stuff, then asked me where I was going. I promptly told her to mind her own business and slid off into the jungle, perfectly at home.

* * *

In the jungle, I felt myself relax. Scents, some familiar, some not, filled my senses as I race through the brush. One caught my fancy, and I began to track it. Occasionally I would come across some drops of blood, so I knew I was on the right path. Even though I hadn't hunted in over three years, I felt myself sliding right back into the zone. Hunting is kind of like riding, I suppose. You just never forget how to do it.

The source of the now tantalizing scent soon became evident. A doe, with a broken leg that had come through her skin slightly, was browsing unawares of the danger which she now faced. I knew she wouldn't live long with that leg how it was, and it was better that I was the one hunting instead of some other predator. After all, I was well practiced.

I dispatched her quickly and relatively painlessly, and set out portions to bring back for everybody before I dug in. After I was finished eating, I selected some bones to use for tools.

Getting back was harder with the added weight of the meat on my back, but finding my way was much easier. I decided to branch out a bit, to see what was there. The extra effort was well worth it, as I found a waterfall with a rushing river. There was usually a cave behind a waterfall from erosion, and such a cave would be an excellent shelter if you had waterproof supplies. I decided to check it out, feeling that the reward was much more than the risk.

I swam powerfully to the waterfall, then dived, letting the waterfall push me down to where the current allowed me to come up behind it. Just as I thought, there was a cave there. I clambered up into the cave and shook the excess water off of me. Looking around, I noticed some crystals. I investigated this discovery further, and found out that I had stumbled upon a patch of quartz. The cave wasn't as wet as I had imagined, but there was a small 'river' of sorts from the waterfall. This left the majority of the cave only damp, instead of the wet place I had imagined. It was very roomy and deep, and the ceiling was very high. Looking to the back of the cave, I noticed a hole in the ceiling. I looked up to see where this led. I figured that I could probably light a fire as long as there was a chimney of sorts, and this hole seemed to serve the purpose perfectly. I set up my tent here; I was planning to use this as an outpost of sorts. Any expansion of hunting territory I could use I would, just in case. I would try to find the herd that doe had come from later.

It was starting to get late, so I got ready to head back. I made sure everything was set for the night, and left my outpost. I knew this would be useful as time went on. After all, I could only stand people for so long. I've been quite self-sufficient for a while now, and I felt no need to change.

I headed back four times as fast as when I left; after all, I didn't want anybody to worry. Why anybody would worry about me, though, I'm not particularly sure. As I kept thinking about my current dilemma, I began to realize that the others could easily become a second pack. The situation was much too similar to where I was before I came to Los Angeles. Back home, we had no modern conveniences, just because of where we lived. We lived, or used to live, in a particularly remote region of Alaska, where life was fine until they came. My thoughts turned to what could happen if they became a second pack. This line of thought unnerved me, so I let myself focus on what was around me rather than focusing within.

The landscape was nothing but a blur. I followed my trail that I had used to get to the waterfall exactly, marking trees and bushes so that I could find my way again. I rested for a few minutes in a clearing in which I knew was only a mere fifteen minutes from camp. A bird, with plumes of red, was perched on a limb. I growled at it, and it squawked and flew off. A red feather fell to the ground, where it lay like a ruby. I picked it up and slid it into my pack.

The sun was beginning to set, throwing exotic flames of red and orange across the sky. I knew it would be time to get back soon, but I wanted to stay. I wanted to go off on my own, but there was an odd pull bringing me back to camp. I thought I wouldn't find this feeling anywhere but up north, but here it was. This group was definitely becoming a second pack.

* * *

I arrived at camp to see a lit fire and burnt leeches on the ground. Everybody was asking where I had been, and I just told them to mind their own business. I gave Fluffy the meat, and he gave me this look, like he didn't even want to know what it was.

"Have fun cooking this up. If you need help, let me know." I said.

"Hey Kara, you have something…" Jackson said, motioning to my mouth. He had the same look Fluffy had on his face. Oddly enough, I felt amusement, which I haven't felt for years. I could tell one of the girls was trying to remember my name, even though I hadn't introduced myself as of yet. I didn't want to, in case I decided to go off on my own.

"Oh, thanks." I wiped the leftover blood from my dinner onto my sleeve. Everybody stared. I smirked and walked over to a seat they had pulled from the plane. I draped myself over the chair and gave my signature one-sided smirk, feeling oddly playful.

"And FYI, I'm good for the night."


End file.
